Brake beam and method of constructing same



April 12, 192 1,624,509

A. P. RISSLER BRAKE BEAM AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING SAME Filed March 16, 1925 g J! 5 I g. j mam 25mm Patented Apr. 12, 1927.

N D-STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

AIL-BIN r. RISSLER, or onrceeo, rumors, As'sIenoR- r cHrcAGonArLwA IEeUIr- MENT COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS;

BRAKE BEAM Ann METHOD or CONSTRUC'IING SAME.

"A pp lic'ationifiled March is, 1925. Serial no. 15,936.

This invention relates to'new and useful improvements in brake beams and method of constructing the'same and has for its object the provision of a brake beam in which the fulcrum or strut member is secured in position and held against movement on the beam without the use of extraneous attaching devices and without the necessity of perforating or cutting away portions of either one of said members.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a method of brake beam construction wherein the strut or fulcrummember after being placed on the beam member is a subjected to pressure or pinched at points adjacent to said beam member, thereby offsetting portions of the latter and forming shoulders which abut and engage the sides of the fulcrum member and prevent the latter from moving longitudinallyon said beam member.

' i With these and other objects in view, my

invention consists in certain novel features fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichr K Figure 1 isa top plan view of abrake beam showing the strut member in position thereon. I Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical cross section taken on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a topplan view of thesame. Figure 4 is an enlarged cross section taken on line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail'view showing in dotted lines the position of the portions of the respective-members before pressure 1s applied thereto.

. Figure 6 showsamodified form ofrstrut member; 7 t

Figure 7 illustrates another method of indenting the strut andthe beam for the purpose of holding saidstrut against movement. v

Years of experience have shown that the punching of a hole in the compression member of a brake'beam and riveting a strut to same or slotting the compression memher for the same purpose materially weakens the compression member and veryfrequently leads to breakage at thispoint after the brake beam has been placed in service.

the camber which it is necessary to place in This tendency to breakage is aggravated by the'beam. To eliminate these objectionable features, I have provided a brake beam in which the strut or fulcrum member is held 1n position and locked against lateral movefment by vertically disposed shoulders which are formed in the flanges of the compression member and abut the sides of thestrut memher. These shoulders are forined by indenting the flanges of the compression member after the strut is placed in position thereon and the pressure necessary to offset or indent the flanges is applied to the strut at the appropriate points, which pressure is thereby transmitted to the portions of the flanges OfthB compression member, thus insuring proper seating of the strut inthe offset portionand providing a perfect fit therebetween. I

Thedrawings illustrate a trussed type of brake beam as indicated at 10,'on the ends of which are mounted brake heads 11. This brake beam comprises a compression or brake beam member 12,'tension member 14. and a fulcrum or strutl member 15. which latter is suitably apertured for receiving the pivot pin of the lever of the brake mecha nism. This "strut member is made from a forging which is bent to form a recess or seat 16 for embracing the compression member 12 and the arms l5 -of member 15 are spaced from eachother and se'cured'together by a 'rivetl'? interposed between said arms to in which is formed a seat 21 for receiving completed with the exception of rivets '17. and is placed in proper'location on the compression member 12; Pressure is then applied to the strut as indicated at w thereby pinching. the strut at points where .it laps the channel toes. thus depressing both strut and channel toes as indicated in Figure 5 and forming shgmlders22 which look the strut member against movement. The rlvet 17 is then driven in position; thereby firmly clamping the strut in the indentureor seat made in the toes of the channel of brake beam 12. In this manner, the compression member or the strut member is not WGEIlC- ened and they arefirmly interlocked with each other.

In the form shown in. Figure 6 a strut member 24, instead of wholly embracing the beam member, has theends of arms "24"" formed with opposed seats 25 for engaging and billy partially embracing the beam member.

The form showniin Figure 7 hasthe t 'ansverse or bridgc -portion 15 which bears against theuweb portion 12" of the beam member 12 indented or struck a's indicated at 26, thereby forming: aninwardly projeetingprotuberance 27 which enters into interlocking engagement with a recess or depression QSrOri'nedin-the web portion 12 formed therein either in the same operation or formed independently before the assembly a of the members. i

flhus an eflieient and inexpensive method is provlded for holding the fulcrum member against movement relative to the bealnmemher while the strength of the latter 18 not impaired.

- Obviously, vaflous other modifications ifmllddieflllll'de Withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention. a

i I claim: i

1.. In a brake beam construction, the combination of adianged beam member having transverse depressions in the toe portions of the flangesthereof, and a1 Ushaped strut member embracingsaid beam member and having depressed portions seated in said depressions of said beam member. thereby preventing lateral movement of said strut member relatively to said brake beam member.

2. In a brake beam construction. the combination of aaflanged beam member having transverse depressions inxthe edges of its flanges, a U-shaped strutmember.embracing:

- said beammemberand having deflected per tions seated in the depressions of said beam member. and means engaging said strut member adjacent tosaid brake beam member for clampingsaid strut member in position in said .depressions therebyinterlocking; said ,membersaraigainst. displacement relative to crummember embracing said beamimember andpinc-hedat points adjacent to the edges of the flanges thereof whereby said strut member occupies transverse depressions thus formed in said edge portions and is held thereby against lateral movement.

5. A brake beam constructioncomprising aflanged heammember and a fulcrum member engaging; saidbeam member and pinched at points adjacent to the edges of the flange portions thereofwvhereby said strut member member,a strut member embracing said compressionmcmber. a filler bloeksecured to.

the ends of said strut member and provided with a seat adapted to receive the tension member. and fastening means engaging: the

sides of said strut memberadjacent to said compression member for clamping saidstrut i member in position thereon. Ithe'edges of the flanges of said compression member being ofl'set inwardly for a distance equal to. the

width of said strut member to provide seats having verticallydisposed shoulders. in. abutting engagement with the sides of said strut member to prevent lateral movenaent of the latter. i

7. The method of constructing brake beams consisting in placing a strnt m'ember in encompassing relation on a flan zed beam member and pinclnnt said strut memberyat points coincident w iththe edges of the flange portions of said beam member, thereby depressing said flange portions and said por tions of the strut member simultaneously whereby the latter is interlocked .Witll said brake beam against lateral movement.

8. The method of j construeting brake beams consisting in placing a U-Shi'tDGdStIllt;

memberon a flanged beam member and pinching the parallel portions of said strut member at points coincident with the edges of the flange portions of said beam member,

thereby depressing. said edge; portions and said parallel portions of the strut member swhereb v thelatter is heldqagainstlateral movement. and clampingsaid strut member firmly against the depressed rportionsot said beam member. a i

9. The method of? constructing bbrake beams consisting in forming a strut member with a transverse seat for receiving a compression member, placing said strut in position on said compression member, subjecting saidstrut to. pressure at points coincident with the edges of the flange portions LbfSELld compression member, thereby indenting said flange portions transversely and forming vertically disposed shoulders in abuttingen gagement with the sides of said strut memher for holding the latter against movement longitudinally of said compression member.

10. The method of constructing brake beams consisting in forming a strut member with a transverse seat for receiving a compression membelgplacing said strut 1n position on said compression member, subjecting.

versely and vertically disposed shoulders in abutting engagement with the sides of said strut memberfor holding the latter against movement longitudinally of said compression member, and securing the spaced sides of-said strut member at points adjacent to said compression member together for firmly clamping said strut in position on the compression member.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature this 12th day of March, 192% ALBIN P. RISSLER. 

